23

"For grace," says the divine Apostle, "be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in incorruption," that is, with those who love the 14__160 Lord with the incorruptibility that comes from virtue and with the pure and unhypocritical reverence of their life, by doing His will and not corrupting any of His divine commandments.

These things I have set forth concerning these matters for the sake of the reward of obedience, according to my ability, as I was taught, not daring to touch upon the more mystical and sublime things. If any of the lovers of learning desire to know these, let them encounter what was divinely composed on these matters by Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, and they will find in truth a revelation of ineffable mysteries, granted to the human race through his divine mind and tongue, "for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation." And if this has not fallen far short of your desire, thanks be to Christ, the provider of good things, and to you who compelled that these things be said. But if it falls far short somewhere and much from what was hoped, what can I do or what shall I suffer, being weak in speaking? For weakness is pardonable, not punishable; and what is possible and feasible is acceptable rather than blameworthy, and especially to you, who have proposed to love for God's sake. And to God, everything offered genuinely from the soul according to one's ability is dear, even if it appears small in comparison with great things. For He did not reject the widow who offered the two mites—whoever this widow was and her two mites, whether a soul widowed of evil, and as if having cast off the old law as a husband, yet not worthy of the highest union with the Word and God, but nevertheless offering to Him as a pledge 14__162, as it were, mites, her hitherto commensurate reason and life, or faith and a good conscience, or the disposition and practice of good things, or the contemplation and action suitable to these, or the analogous knowledge and virtue; or those things slightly beyond these, I mean the principles in the natural and the written law, which the soul possessing, in ecstasy and release from these as from a whole life and existence, wishing to be united to the Word and God alone, offers, and accepts to be widowed of the violent ways and institutions and customs according to nature and law, as if of husbands; or something else more spiritual than these, and contemplated only by those pure in mind, which the word hints at through the letter fulfilled in history. For all things, when compared with the contemplative word according to theology, that seem great among men in virtue, happen to be small. Except that even if they are small, and from humble and not very precious material, yet they equally bear the royal image as the gold coins of more precious material which the wealthier offer, having perhaps [even] more of the intention of the one offering from her whole disposition.

Imitating this widow, I too have offered to God and to you, beloved, these small and humble thoughts and words, as it were mites, brought forth from a humble and poor mind and tongue, concerning which you commanded, entreating your blessed and holy soul: first, to seek no longer a written record of anything said by me, for two reasons: one, that I have not yet acquired the pure and abiding fear of God, nor a solid habit of virtue and a firm and unshaken foundation of true righteousness, which especially bear witness 14__164 to the certainty of words; and second, because I am still tossed about by a great surge of passions like a wild sea and am far from the divine harbor of dispassion, and have an uncertain end to my life, I do not wish to have, in addition to my deeds, the written word as an accuser; then, for the sake of obedience, if it is necessary, having accepted them, commend me through your prayers to Christ, the great and only God and Savior of our souls.

23

"ἡ γὰρ χάρις», φησὶν ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος, "μετὰ πάντων τῶν ἀγαπώντων τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ», τουτέστι τῶν μετὰ τῆς κατ᾽ ἀρετὴν ἀφθαρσίας καὶ τῆς κατὰ τὸν βίον καθαρᾶς τε καὶ ἀνυποκρίτου σεμνότητος ἀγαπώντων τὸν 14__160 Κύριον ἐν τῷ ποιεῖν αὐτοῦ τὰ θελήματα καὶ μὴ παραφθειρόντων τι τῶν θείων αὐτοῦ προσταγμάτων.

Ταῦτα μὲν ἐγὼ περὶ τούτων διὰ τὸν τῆς ὑπακοῆς μισθόν, κατὰ δύναμιν, ὡς ἐδιδάχθην, ἐξεθέμην, τῶν μυστικωτέρων τε καὶ ὑψηλοτέρων ἅψασθαι μὴ τολμήσας· ἅπερ εἰ ποθεῖ τις γνῶναι τῶν φιλομαθῶν, τοῖς περὶ τούτων τῷ ἁγίῳ ∆ιονυσίῳ τῷ Ἀρεοπαγίτῃ ἐνθέως πονηθεῖσιν ἐντύχοι καὶ εὑρήσει κατ᾽ ἀλήθειαν μυστηρίων ἀρρήτων ἀποκάλυψιν, διὰ τῆς θείας αὐτοῦ καὶ διανοίας καὶ γλώττης χαρισθεῖσαν τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένει, "διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν». Καὶ εἰ μὲν πολὺ τῆς ὑμῶν ἐπιθυμίας οὐκ ἀποπέπτωκε, τῷ Χριστῷ χάρις τῷ χορηγῷ τῶν καλῶν, καὶ ὑμῖν τοῖς λεχθῆναι ταῦτα βιασαμένοις. Εἰ δὲ μακράν που καὶ πολὺ τῆς ἐλπίδος ἀπολείπεται, τί πάθω ἢ τί δράσω, περὶ τὸ λέγειν ἀσθενήσας; Συγγνωστὸν γάρ, οὐ τιμωρητόν, ἡ ἀσθένεια· καὶ ἀποδεκτὸν μᾶλλον, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ μεμπτὸν τὸ ἐγχωροῦν καὶ ἐνδεχόμενον, καὶ μάλισθ᾽ ὑμῖν, τοῖς ἀγαπᾷν διὰ τὸν Θεὸν προθεμένοις. Καὶ Θεῷ δὲ φίλον τὸ κατὰ δύναμιν ἅπαν γνησίως ἐκ ψυχῆς προσαγόμενον, κἂν μικρὸν συγκρίσει μεγάλων ὑπάρχον φανήσεται· ὃς οὐδὲ τὴν χήραν τὰ δύο λεπτὰ προσκομίσασαν ἀπώσατο, ἥτις ποτὲ ἦν ἡ χήρα αὕτη καὶ τὰ δύο λεπτά, εἴτε ψυχὴ κακίας χηρεύουσα, καὶ ὥσπερ ἄνδρα τὸν παλαιὸν μὲν ἀποβαλομένη νόμον, οὔπω δὲ τῆς πρὸς τὸν Λόγον καὶ Θεὸν ἄκρας συναφείας ἀξία, προσάγουσα δὲ ὅμως αὐτῷ ἀρραβῶνος 14__162 λόγῳ ὥσπερ λεπτά, τὸν τέως σύμμετρον λόγον καὶ βίον, ἢ πίστιν καὶ ἀγαθὴν συνείδησιν, ἢ τὴν περὶ τῶν καλῶν ἕξιν καὶ ἐνέργειαν, ἢ τὴν τούτοις πρόσφορον θεωρίαν καὶ πρᾶξιν, ἢ τὴν ἀνάλογον γνῶσιν καὶ ἀρετήν· ἢ τοὺς μικρὸν ὑπὲρ ταῦτα, φημὶ δὲ τοὺς ἐν τῷ φυσικῷ καὶ τῷ γραπτῷ νόμῳ λόγους, οὓς ἡ ψυχὴ κεκτημένη, κατ᾽ ἔκστασιν τούτων καὶ ἄφεσιν ὡς ὅλου βίου καὶ ζωῆς μόνῳ συναφθῆναι τῷ Λόγῳ καὶ Θεῷ βουλομένη προσάγει, καὶ τῶν κατὰ φύσιν καὶ νόμον βιαίων τρόπων τε καὶ θεσμῶν καὶ ἐθῶν, ὥσπερ ἀνδρῶν χηρεύειν δέχεται, εἴτε τι ἄλλο τούτων πνευματικώτερον, καὶ μόνοις θεωρητὸν τοῖς καθαροῖς τὴν διάνοιαν, διὰ τοῦ καθ᾽ ἱστορίαν πληρωθέντος γράμματος ὁ λόγος αἰνίττεται. Πάντα γὰρ τῷ κατὰ θεολογίαν ἐποπτικῷ συγκρινόμενα λόγῳ, τὰ ἐν ἀνθρώποις δοκοῦντα κατ᾽ ἀρετὴν εἶναι μεγάλα, μικρὰ τυγχάνει. Πλήν γε ὅτι κἂν μικρά, καὶ ἐξ ὕλης εὐτελοῦς καὶ οὐ πολὺ τιμίας, ἀλλ᾽ οὖν τοῖς ἐκ χρυσοῦ νομίσμασι τῆς ἐν ὕλαις τιμιωτέρας, ἃ προσφέρουσιν οἱ εὐπορώτεροι, κατὰ τὸ ἴσον τὸν βασιλικὸν χαρακτῆρα φέροντα, κατὰ [καὶ τὸ] πλέον ἴσως ἔχοντα τῆς προσαγούσης τὴν ἐξ ὅλης διαθέσεως πρόθεσιν.

Ταύτην κἀγὼ μιμούμενος τὴν χήραν, Θεῷ τε καὶ ὑμῖν, ἠγαπημένοι, τὰ μικρὰ ταῦτα καὶ εὐτελῆ καὶ ἐξ εὐτελοῦς καὶ πτωχῆς διανοίας καὶ γλώσσης προενηνεγμένα νοήματά τε καὶ ῥήματα ὥσπερ λεπτά, περὶ ὧν ἐκελεύσατε, προσενήνοχα, παρακαλῶν τὴν εὐλογημένην ὑμῶν καὶ ἁγίαν ψυχήν· πρῶτον μέν, μηδενὸς ἔτι τῶν παρ᾽ ἐμοῦ λεγομένων ἔγγραφον ζητῆσαι σημείωσιν, δυοῖν ἕνεκεν· ἑνὸς μέν, ὅτι μηδέπω τὸν φόβον ἐκτησάμην τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν ἁγνὸν καὶ διαμένοντα, οὐ δ᾽ ἀρετῆς ἕξιν στερέμνιον καὶ δικαιοσύνης ἀληθοῦς πῆξιν σταθερὰν καὶ ἀσάλευτον, τὰ μαρτυροῦντα 14__164 μάλιστα τοῖς λόγοις τὸ βέβαιον· ἑτέρου δέ, ὅτι πολλῷ κλύδωνι παθῶν ἔτι δίκην θαλάσσης ἀγρίας περιδονούμενος καὶ πολὺ τοῦ θείου ἀπαθείας ἀπέχων λιμένος, καὶ ἄδηλον ἔχων τοῦ βίου τὸ πέρας, οὐ βούλομαι πρὸς τοῖς ἔργοις καὶ τὸν ἐν γράμμασι λόγον ἔχειν κατήγορονἔπειτα δὲ τῆς εὐπειθείας χάριν, εἰ δέον ἐστίν, ἀποδεξάμενοι, Χριστῷ με δι᾽ εὐχῶν παράθεσθε τῷ μεγάλῳ καὶ μόνῳ Θεῷ καὶ Σωτῆρι τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν.